Trying to catch on

Jake Roberts has already surpassed the point that millions of men hope to reach.

The former University High School football standout has gone back to the Titans, only in this case it’s the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans.

“Once a Titan, always a Titan,” said Mike Ganey, Roberts’ former coach at U-Hi.

Roberts, who graduated from Central Washington University in June, agreed to a free-agent contract with Tennessee on April 25, the night the NFL draft concluded. He just completed his first week of training camp.

The past 12 months have been a non-stop whirlwind for Roberts. As a senior at CWU, many professional scouts dissected his every move during games and practices. During the same time, he and his fiancee were planning their July 10 wedding.

Roberts signed with his agent, Jim Grogan, after the football season concluded and later signed the contract with Tennessee. Since signing, he’s been to two minicamps, graduated with a business management degree, got married and is now back in Nashville, hoping to make a roster spot during the month-long training camp.

“Obviously, some good, great things have been happening to me,” Roberts said.

Tennessee plays Atlanta in a scrimmage today, and Roberts, 24, is hopeful of showcasing his worth to the team.

“That experience alone will be awesome,” he said. “I’ll just keep showing up and keep practicing until the guys tell me I’m not on the team anymore.”

For Roberts’ sake, he won’t get that word. It’s not going to be easy, however, to make the team’s limited roster. Receivers coach Steve Walters was honest in saying the jump from college to the pros is difficult, and more so from an NCAA Division II school such as Central.

Walters’ concern is that Roberts hasn’t played against the same competition as a player from the Pacific-10 or Big Ten conference

“That doesn’t mean he couldn’t,” Walters said. “That doesn’t mean he can’t. He hasn’t. (But the NFL) is an adjustment for all of them, no matter where they played.”

Walters said that Roberts and other rookies are watched thoroughly during camp, which gives the coaching staff a good feel for a player. Camp runs through Aug. 26, in addition to the two minicamps Roberts has already attended.

“So we get a pretty good look at them,” Walters said. “We feel like we get to know the guys pretty well.”

Walters already knows some of Roberts’ attributes.

“Jake’s got good size,” he said of the 6-foot-3, 196-pounder. “We’re looking for guys who have size and the ability to catch the ball.”

Many of Roberts’ former coaches and teammates described his ability to catch the ball and run crisp routes as his best traits as an athlete.

“He’s a good, young man,” Walters said. “I like him a lot. He’s a smart man.”

Tennessee initially had 12 receivers signed before camp started, and two weren’t invited back. Walters said 10 receivers, including starters from last season, are vying for six or seven spots, including one on the practice squad. There’s no question now is a great time for Roberts to shine.

“If you do (shine), we’re going to see it,” Walters said. “What matters is how good of a player you are.”

Walters said today’s scrimmage and much of the preseason schedule is to see how the rookies fit into a team that’s looking for another piece of the puzzle.

“We’ve got specific guys we really have to see,” he said.

Despite the fact that Roberts’ professional future is in limbo, his personal life is anything but. He and his wife, Samantha, are going on four weeks of marriage today.

Although the two weren’t able to take a honeymoon because of his football commitments and his uncertain future with Tennessee, the newlyweds wouldn’t have it any other way.

“This is more of an opportunity than something that holds us back,” Roberts said.

Samantha agreed. “It’s a different life, but I wouldn’t trade it. I love it,” she said.

The Roberts family, including Jake’s new bride, is in Nashville this week to watch Jake practice and take in today’s scrimmage with Atlanta.

They’ll leave on Monday and Samantha will continue living in Washington until she gets that fateful call.

“I’m going to … get down there when Jake gives me the call,” she said, “and start establishing a life there.”

They’re apart now, but it won’t be forever.

“I feel like we’re doing this together,” Samantha said.

To hear Jake explain it, his wife’s support is the reason he can solely focus on making the team.

“She’s always been so strong herself,” he said. “There’s never been that pressure there.”

Just as Roberts said, he’ll continue to play until he hears otherwise.

“I could be playing Monday Night Football or I could be sitting in a desk job,” he said.